Living Literarily

While I did not like this book as much as "A Court of Thorns and Roses", also by Sarah J. Mass, I still recommend it. I am learning that one of this author's strongest points is knowing when to begin a a novel. She starts in the middle of the beginning and gets to the point. Also, her books flow so well that they are easy to read in a day. They are never confusing or over your head.  This book in particular is unique and I cannot decide if I think Celaena is neurotic or the most relatable heroine ever. She certainly displays a few of the ticks one would expect in a traumatized child assassin. This is not a negative, in fact it makes it all so much more real.  My major complaint about this book is simply that I did not believe the romance between Dorian and Celaena (and I am wholly devoted to team Chaol). There is variation in the characters and they all had so much depth, except for Dorian. I have been informed he does improve in later books. In fact, I h...

To begin, this is by no means a "YA" novel. I am surprised that the publishers would market it as such. While I am not offended by the content as I am an adult, I am frustrated because I almost had my 13 year old little sister read it before me and she is definitely not old enough for what occurs here.  I'm OK with novels like Graceling or The Blue Sword or even Fault in Our Stars that do contain sexual scenes and believe they are appropriate and healthy for a young audience. I say this to illustrate that my opinion is not based on an exaggerated sense of prudery.  BE WARNED: This book contains fairly explicit sexual scenes. Not extensive, but enough that this novel is actually New Adult. That aside, I adore this book! I have a long held love affair with fractured fairytales and am forever looking to discover a new twist on one of my favorites. Everything from the name Feyre to the complications that arise with Rhys fit into the world that Sarah J Maas creates.  ...

I am not the kind of person who will reads the books synopsis before starting it. In order my priorities in choosing books are: 1. Author Style 2. Friend Recommendation 3. Popularity 4. Teacher Recommendation 5. Author 6. Cover 7. The Synopsis (always my last resort) Given my dislike for spoilers, I downloaded Rebel Belle  on my phone and finished listening to it in 2 days. I had no idea what to expect, but it certainly was words like "paladin" or "oracle" being calmly discussed in a classy southern drawl. I did not expect heels to become weapons or for me to be furious when an opportunity to break the enemy's neck is lost. I am not a violent person, and I do not like violent books. And while there was fighting, I was never disturbed by it. It is kind of like how the main character refuses to use the "F" word (which I much appreciated). There is an air of class thrown over the whole thing and you come out wondering if you want to move to the...

I saw this book all over book social media and wondered if it was good as everyone was saying. It seemed like a stereotypical contemporary young adult fantasy novel. I kind of did not want to read it and waste my time on something I had read before in the myriad of other novels that fall under the same genre. Oh, I was very wrong. I fell in love with this book partially because it was like nothing that I had expected. It began slow and a bit sluggish at moments. There were facts and moments I didn't understand and it all seemed to be a bit surreal. I was uncomfortable with the erratic pacing of the book and wondered if I should just stop. If you feel this way, I encourage you to do what I did and not stop. IT is a lot less fantasy, and more character development and deep mental exploration. The magic naturally flows in and out of the world and every piece miraculously falls into place. The characters are real. They are gritty, they keep secrets from each other, and they a...

I originally bought this book for its exquisite cover and title. It looks so interesting, morbid, and beautiful at the same time which fits perfectly into "my type". The slow-witted person that I am did not recognize the name of one of my favorite authors, Jennifer Donnelly. Her Tea Rose trilogy also comes highly recommended by me. Now, why does this book warrant five stars? First, the female lead is perfectly human, but still spunky and a strong feminist. Jo is the only child born to wealthy blue-blooded parents in the middle of the most fashionable part of New York. From the beginning you can see that she knows there needs to be a change. She was not meant for the life of leisure and breeding that the other girls her age are so eager for. Soon she is faced with the mysterious death of her father, confused by the differing accounts of his past, Jo begins to dig. Donnelly loves portraying strong females with ambition and passion. However, Jo is a bit different from ...

In all of literature there are hundreds of genres. Every person finds their little cubby-hole filled with familiar sights and sounds that lulls you into a deep trance that doesn't end until the book is closed. Fractured fairytales are my little nook. I have heard people ask me if I feel like I'm reading the same book over and over, but it has never felt that way to me. To me I get to step into someone else's childhood home and explore a bit. I think most of us have pretended to be some fictional character at some time or another. I have gone through Madeline, Belle, Cinderella, and so many other beloved characters, but what brought the most fun was infusing those characters I so admired with my own personality, dreams, and aspirations. Suddenly they all had older brothers and younger sisters, they were forced to go to school, or they had powers stolen from another magical tale. Authors who can successfully write a fractured fairytale are masters in my mind. As I sai...

Okay, I am not normally one to go off on a mad rant against anything, but I am completely horrified by the book Sweet Girl  by Annabel Lyon. I was browsing through the clearance section of my University's bookstore when I found it. The cover is beautiful and the main character is the daughter of Aristotle and the summary promised the beautiful tale of a young girl challenging gender roles. I love Aristotle, I love Greek history, and I love a book with a strong female lead and so I snatched it up for a what seemed like a bargain at the time. I will say, with the exception of a slightly forced voice and the use of the word "daddy" a few too many times, I enjoyed the beginning of the book. It was simple, it was a little complex with her scholarly and femine side at war with one another, and it seemed light. About a third of the way through the book the author began forcing everything. The book became edgy where it had no right to be edgy, there was no cohesion between ac...